Morrisville, NY – On Saturday, the Golden Eagle football returned to the field after a bye week to take on the Mustangs in a road contest. Brockport dominated from start to finish for a second straight shutout, earning a 49-0 victory in Empire 8 play. Now on a five game winning streak, Brockport improves to 6-1 overall and remains undefeated at 3-0 in the conference.
The nationally recognized defensive unit was relentless for Brockport, tying a season-low of just four first downs allowed to the Mustang offense. Giving up just 45 yards total for the game, it is the second lowest output an opposing offense has had against the Green and Gold. Morrisville did not convert on a single third down play for the entire game (0-for-8).
Offensively it was all about the running game for the Golden Eagles. They set new season-highs with 60 rushing attempts and a total of 329 rushing yards. The four rushing scores went along with three passing touchdowns and 81 yards through the air for 410 yards of total offense. The unit on offense went 12-for-14 on third downs and racked up 38:21 possession time in the game.
After getting a stop on defense to start the outing, Brockport marched on down the field for a touchdown on its first offensive possession. A healthy dose of Gino Fontanarosa on the ground led to a 75-yard touchdown drive that killed nearly eight minutes of the clock. The drive was capped off by an 11-yard, Ben Gocella touchdown pass to Myles Goddard. Wigent's extra point made it a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
The Golden Eagle defense came out and quickly got the offense the ball back, forcing a three and out. This time around they used Jala Coad as the feature back, after starting the drive on the 48-yard line. Finding tight end James Altenburger for a 14-yard touchdown, Gocella registered his second passing score of the day to make it a 14-0 lead early in the second.
Back on offense, the Mustangs still couldn't find any room to get going against the Green and Gold's top tier defensive unit. Raylens Boutin sack on 2nd and 15 led to another three and out for Morrisville's offense.
Brockport took over once again, this time starting the drive on Morrisville's side of the 50. Isaiah Simmons would get handed the ball five times on the drive to setup yet another touchdown pass for Gocella. This time he hit Rashad Law for a 10-yard score, Law's first touchdown of the season. On the road, the Golden Eagles now held onto a 21-0 lead in the second.
They didn't stop there, adding one more score before halftime. Another stop for Brockport on defense setup Boutin's 40-yard punt return to give the offense good field position once again. This time beginning the possession on Morrisville's 40, four straight rushes eventually led to a 2-yard rushing score by Isaiah Simmons. Brockport led at the break, 28-0.
Both offense began the second half with short drives that resulted in a punt. This would be Dan Giangrasso's lone kick of the game, punting the ball 60 yards to pin Morrisville inside its own 20. Sticking to the run game, the Green and Gold marched down the field once again looking to add to the lead. Chris McGuire threw a 22-yard completion to Nolan Slywka to set McGuire up for his 8-yard touchdown run. Nearing the midpoint of the third quarter, Brockport was now up 35-0.
After the defense forced another quick stop, the SUNY Brockport offense took to the ground once again. This time we saw five straight rushes for Cameron Mesh, before McGuire found paydirt for the second time in the game. With the third quarter winding down, the scoreboard now read 42-0 in favor of Brockport.
Heading into the fourth quarter the game was all but over, as Morrisville still was unable to move the ball on Brockport's dominant defense. Mesh found the endzone at 9:29 in the fourth to extend the lead to 49-0. Shortly after the Golden Eagles' Andre Marianetti forced and recovered a fumble to put the game away. They then killed the rest of the clock on offense to seal the deal.
Mike Talbert Jr. got back to the field with five tackles, including 1.5 for a loss, and 1.0 sacks. Kyle Haettich also had five stops with 1.0 for a loss and 0.5 sacks. Raylens Boutin was credited with 1.5 sacks in the game, as the defense totaled four against the Mustangs.
Jala Coad led the backfield with 83 rushing yards, while Cameron Mesh had 80 and a touchdown. Isaiah Simmons had 57 yards on the ground with one score. Chris McGuire got in on the party with two rushing touchdowns on 41 yards from seven carries.
Ben Gocella completed six of his nine passes for just 59 yards, but completed three of those for touchdowns. Rashad Law, James Altenburger, and Myles Goddard all came down with receiving scores for the Green and Gold. Nate Wigent remains perfect on the season, hitting all seven of his point after touchdown attempts.
The Golden Eagles will be back home on Bob Boozer Field next weekend to continue Empire 8 play. They will host Utica University on Saturday, October 28th for a 2pm kickoff.